Tentacool Line/DPPt
Tentacool can be found as a relatively common Surfing encounter on Routes 205, 213, 218, 219, 220, 221 and 222 as well as in Canalave City, Pastoria City, the Valley Windworks, Fuego Ironworks, Iron Island and the Pokémon League in all versions. It can also be encountered in Sunyshore City, exclusively in Pokémon Platinum. Tentacruel can be found anywhere there is Tentacool as well as Routes 223, 224, 226 and 230 as well as Sunyshore City in all versions. '' The Pidgey of the seas makes its return in the jump to the DS. 100 base speed may not be exactly what it used to be in generations past, but it is still fast enough to get the drop on slower physical attackers atop its traditional role as a special tank, especially with the introduction of the Choice Specs. While the physical/special split has not been too kind to Tentacruel, outside of granting it special Sludge Bomb and the ability to effectively run Swords Dance, the nearly omnipresent squid is still a solid contender for the role of a bulky Water-type, even if there are significantly more threats out there than in previous generations. Important Matchups - Platinum = * Rival (Canalave City): Given that he's actually evolved everything this time, the Rival is actually a legitimate threat here. Staraptor has a 3HKO in the form of Aerial Ace, however Ice Beam 2HKOs, making this doable regardless of who moves first. Heracross is similar to how it played in the paired versions, only achieving a 4HKO with Night Slash in contrast with Surf's 3HKO. Just be cautious of crits. Floatzel is a joke, lacking any real way to harm Tentacruel and is at worst 3HKO'd by Giga Drain. Roserade's Giga Drain is a 5HKO, this negates the threat of Sleep Powder and Ice Beam is almost certainly a 2HKO. Additionally, Liquid Ooze variants of the line can speed up the process by hurting Roserade for attacking, and in the event of it trying to set up Toxic Spikes, you can double switch with a Flying or Steel-type to remove them. Rapidash is likely to be OHKO'd by Surf and like Floatzel, lacks a way to deal much damage. In regards to his starter, avoid Empoleon in general, even if it lacks a way to harm you, Tentacruel's neutral or better options are Giga Drain (6HKO) or Hidden Power (3HKO when super effective at max power, unlikely). Torterra is significantly easier to deal with, as it lacks Earthquake. This leaves it open for the 2HKO with Ice Beam, as Razor Leaf is a possible 6HKO. Lastly Infernape is 2HKO'd by Surf and would be lucky to 4HKO with Aerial Ace is response. Do note that the Choice Specs (accessible in Celestic Town) speeds up these fights, but will require frequent switching. * Gym #6 - Byron (Canalave City, Steel-type): Avoiding Magneton is a wise option, as STAB Thunderbolt hurts. Steelix does literally nothing due to its low speed meaning that Surf is almost certainly a OHKO, and that possibility of it living to deal 90% back with Earthquake is negated due to the Splash Plate. Bastiodon is dangerous as even Choice Specs boosted Surf is not a OHKO, letting Metal Burst kill Tentacruel in retaliation. However given that its only offensive move outside of Metal Burst is Stone Edge, which 3HKOs, you are safe to set up with X-specials to ensure the 1HKO (needs 2 with Splash Plate, 1 with specs.) * Saturn (Lake Valor): Ice Beam Golbat and wash away everything else with Surf, paradoxically an easier fight, given Platinum's harshness. * Mars (Lake Verity): Golbat gets taken out with Ice Beam without too much trouble and Bronzor is pretty much the same as Saturn's in terms of threat level. Purugly might get ugly if it gets a critical hit with Slash, making it a 2HKO instead of a 4HKO and Hypnosis might be annoying, but provided the RNG is not too harsh, Tentacruel should come out on top through Surf, which is always a 2HKO. * Gym #7 - Candice (Snowpoint City, Ice-type): While Sneasel and Abomasnow are effectively the same for Tentacruel as they were in the paired versions, the two new additions in Platinum provide a new dynamic for this fight. Piloswine is capable of OHKOing Tentacruel with Earthquake, meanwhile the squid is in the same camp with Surf. Use of the Splash Plate is recommended to avoid this situation. Splash Plate boosted Surf has a 96.5% chance to 2HKO Froslass at equal levels. The problem factors here are Hail providing it with an evasion boost through its ability, Double Team making fighting it even more luck based and Psychic being a 3HKO in Hail. It is a risky fight, and inadvisable unless Hail is not on the field. * Cyrus (Galactic HQ): Sneasel is not much of a threat to Tentacruel, just drown it with Surf. His Crobat is literally the same as his Golbat was in the paired versions, just be careful as Crobat's damage output is noticeably higher than its unevolved form. Although it is worth noting that Air Cutter is a 4HKO if it crits on all four occasions (assuming Tentacruel is equal in level with Honchkrow), not that it matters since Ice Beam is at worst a 3HKO. Lastly, Ice Beam is a certain 2HKO against Honchkrow in contrast to Drill Peck being a 3HKO. * Saturn (Galactic HQ): It is a higher leveled repeat of his Lake Valor fight, whatever worked there, will work here. * Mars and Jupiter (Spear Pillar, tag battle with rival): While the double Bronzor would not be a threat individually, or if the Rival had not lead with Munchlax, combined the two actually have decent damage output, particularly when its STAB super effective Extrasensory, which between the combined damage of the two of them is a 3HKO. Add in the threat of dual screens and time is of the essence, there is not much that is OHKOing these things, and Tentacruel is not one of them. Ice Beam is a solid answer against both Golbat, 2HKOing them. Given that they also lack ways to break through Tentacruel reliably, which might serve as an opportunity to stall out the screens and/or set up Barrier if you intend to keep Tentacruel in on the last two Pokémon. Speaking of which, Purugly is pretty much the same as last time for the jellyfish Pokémon and Skuntank might be a menace through Smokescreen and STAB Night Slash. An additional problem is Surf being a spread move, limiting its effectiveness. * Cyrus (Distortion World): Ice Beam is a certain 2HKO against Honchkrow in contrast to Drill Peck being a 3HKO, just be wary of Psychic if he gets a special defense drop. Newcomer Houndoom can 3HKO Tentacruel with Thunder Fang, which would be problematic if Surf did not 2HKO. A burn through Will-o-wisp and flinches can complicate both this individual fight and Tentacruel's overall performance here, so be careful. Gyarados is a disaster waiting to happen as Earthquake is a 2HKO on a level 48 Tentacruel, which struggles to 3HKO back with Sludge Bomb, stay away. The main threat presented by Crobat is Confuse Ray as it lacks a major damage dealing move against Tentacruel, which promptly 2HKOs back with Ice Beam. Air Slash's flinch chance may prove to be annoying however. Lastly Weavile has a small chance to 2HKO with Night Slash, which could turn lethal with a critical hit. It's significantly higher speed stat and Surf only being a 3HKO makes this a match up best avoided. * Giratina (Distortion World): Ice Beam is a 4HKO, meanwhile Dragon Claw is a 3HKO and Shadow Force, while pretty easy to play around if you have a Normal-type in the party, is a clean 2HKO. Tentacruel is realistically just not powerful enough to get the job done if you intend to KO the dragon, and lacks the staying power to serve as a wall to catch it without use of the Master Ball. * Gym #8 - Volkner (Sunyshore City, Electric-type): Even more nope. * Rival (Pokémon League): Avoid Snorlax regardless of starter choice due to its good special bulk and access to Earthquake. From then onwards, Tentacruel does well against most of his team. Ice Beam handles Staraptor for a 2HKO, while Aerial Ace's low power makes it a 4HKO. Ice Beam, when boosted by the Icicle Plate also decimates Torterra and Roserade without hassle. However be careful if Tentacruel has less than 108 special attack as there is a tiny chance Torterra will survive and promptly kill your Pokémon with Earthquake. Empoleon is a pain to handle due to its neutrality to Giga Drain and resistance/immunity to most of Tentacruel's other options, even if it is not doing much back. While that is best avoided, Floatzel is a viable target due to Sludge Bomb 2HKOing in comparison to Crunch's 4HKO. Surf cleans up both Fire-types without issue and Heracross has the same problem as last time, even with its best STAB options, Night Slash is outdamaged by Surf. * Elite Four Aaron (Pokémon League, Bug-type): While Vespiquen and newcomer Yanmega are still dropped quickly through generous application of Ice Beam, Scizor might prove to be a slightly longer fight, even if it lacks a way to deal much damage to Tentacruel. In regards to the other two returning from Diamond/Pearl, Tentacruel 3HKOs both Heracross and Drapion with Surf, the issue being is that they do the same. However they will only win if they get a critical hit on the second turn or in the unlikely event that Tentacruel is slower than them. * Elite Four Bertha (Pokémon League, Ground-type): On paper this is a brilliant match up as her entire team is weak to either Surf or Giga Drain, the prospect of everything having Earthquake (besides Whiscash) does complicate this in practice however. Meadow Plate Giga Drain has a pretty high chance to OHKO Whiscash, who's best retort is a 3HKO with Zen Headbutt. Golem lasts all of two seconds before being OHKO'd by Surf, and Rhyperior suffers the same fate. Avoid fighting both Rock-types under Sandstorm however, as the special defense boost given to your enemy can make the risk of a fatal Earthquake a dicey prospect. Gliscor does little before getting frozen solid by Ice Beam and finally, avoid Hippowdon, as it is taking a Surf before OHKOing back with Earthquake. * Elite Four Flint (Pokémon League, Fire-type): Tentacruel has a decent chance at outright OHKOing Houndoom with Splash Plate boosted Surf, preventing it from bringing the sun. Even if it did, Surf is still a 2HKO in contrast with Dark Pulse's 4HKO. Flareon shares a 2HKO between Surf and Giga Impact, although Flareon's low speed and Giga Impact requiring a recharge turn makes this a pretty easy duel. It does become slightly more dangerous under the effects of Sunny Day, as Surf is only a 3HKO, nothing a Hyper Potion cannot undo however. Rapidash is likely to try and set up Sunny Day turn one. If you have more than 145 speed, you can prevent this and drown it with an OHKO Surf. Otherwise it is a 2HKO and Flare Blitz will do about 40%. If you have more than 154 speed, Infernape is also a target, although only if Sunny Day has not been set up. Surf in neutral weather conditions has a 75% chance to OHKO, while Earthquake does between 67 and 80%. This means Tentacruel can avoid the 2HKO from Mach Punch the following turn without a critical hit to ruin your day. In sunlight, Surf has a very high chance to 2HKO. Avoid Magmortar if the sun is still out, as Thunderbolt is a likely 2HKO in contrast to the weakened Surf's 3HKO. Otherwise, provided Tentacruel has more than 128 speed (which is highly likely) go for it as Surf 2HKOs. * Elite Four Lucian (Pokémon League, Psychic-type): See the Diamond/Pearl tab for how this matchup goes. * Champion Cynthia (Pokémon League): Tentacruel out-muscles Spiritomb barely, with both Surf and Psychic being 3HKOs. The silver lining is that Tentacruel outruns its foe by a noticeable margin. Avoid Milotic at all costs, and do not set up Toxic Spikes before it comes in unless you are certain you can get up both layers because of Marvel Scale. Engaging it is a terrible prospect because of its better special bulk and access to Mirror Coat to punish offensives. With the Icicle Plate attached, Tentacruel is able to 2HKO Roserade with Ice Beam, in exchange with Extrasensory being a 3HKO. Similarly, Ice Beam outdamages all of Togekiss' offensive options, being a 3HKO in contrast to Shock Wave and Air Slash's 4HKOs. While Surf is still a 3HKO against Lucario (Assuming Tentacruel is at level 62), Lucario's best option this time is a 3HKO in Stone Edge. This means that those Tentacruel with more than 144 speed can handle this fight with care. Garchomp should only be engaged if the answer to the following question is yes. Does Tentacruel has at least 144 special attack, 166 speed and the Icicle Plate equipped? If so, feel free to go ahead and OHKO the dragon with Ice Beam. Otherwise don't on the threat of Earthquake induced death. * Post-Game: Really, there is not much that can threaten a Tentacruel which has made it this far, just watch out for surprise Earthquakes (the Shuca Berry is your friend) and it should keep being helpful in the Battle Zone. }} Moves At the lowest level that it can be obtained, Tentacool starts with Constrict, Acid, Toxic Spikes and BubbleBeam. Not the most impressive moveset but not terrible. At level 22, Tentacool learns Wrap which is pointless. Barrier at level 26 is an interesting proposition, allowing for Tentacool to patch up its iffy defense. At Level 29, Tentacool learns its last move before evolving, Water Pulse. However, it should have Surf by now, so refrain from teaching this. As a Tentacruel, the first move it learns is Poison Jab at level 36 and is a decent Poison STAB option, even if it runs off Tentacruel's lower physical attack. Screech at level 42 is useful for lowering a target's defense but Tentacruel tends to not run physical moves later on. Hydro Pump at level 49 is Tentacruel's strongest STAB option, although its low PP makes it less efficient than Surf. Lastly at level 55, Wring Out is not worth teaching. Tentacruel has an interesting selection of TMs to work with. Besides the obvious Water-type staples of Ice Beam and Blizzard which provide solid coverage, The jellyfish also has access to Giga Drain as a way to hit fellow Water-types. Toxic is always an option to help whittle down stronger foes, but then Toxic Spikes lets Tentacruel set it up against an entire team, not just one Pokémon. Sludge Bomb serves as a solid secondary STAB option against those who resist Water, but then most of those fall to Ice Beam. Swords Dance lets Tentacruel buck expectations and become a physical sweeper, taking advantage of Poison Jab and Return as main moves. In that event, Natural Gift becomes a way of granting one off coverage. Through the Platinum tutors, the only move of note it gains is Icy Wind, a useful form of speed control. Lastly, it makes a decent HM slave through Surf, Waterfall, and Cut. Recommended movesets: ''Standard: Surf / Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Giga Drain / Sludge Bomb, Toxic Spikes / Barrier / Sludge Bomb'' ''Physical: Swords Dance, Waterfall, Poison Jab, Return / Natural Gift'' Recommended Teammates * Ground-types: Tentacruel's Electric weakness can be handled only by a Ground immunity. Thankfully there is a wide range of Ground-types to choose from in Sinnoh, starting as early as your starter choice. Several of these also serve as a decent answer to Tentacruel's Ground-weakness, with the squid covering most of their own problems without too much trouble. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Torterra, Golem, Quagsire, Steelix, Gliscor, Garchomp, Rhyperior, Gastrodon * Dark-types: Psychic-types can only really be countered by Dark-types, as even Tentacruel's high Special Defense is not enough for their strong STAB moves. Dark-types are relatively hard to come by, but if present, they can help Tentacruel get past one of its very few weaknesses. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Umbreon, Honchkrow, Houndoom, Weavile, Skuntank * Physical tanks: Even though Tentacruel's Defense is not bad, and its typing grants it numerous resistances, it can be useful to have a proper physical tank on the team. Conveniently, good physical tanks also tend to have types that complement Tentacruel's own very well. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Torterra, Quagsire, Steelix, Bronzong, Tangrowth, Umbreon, Gliscor Other Tentacool's stats Tentacruel's stats * What Nature do I want? Realistically, you want a nature that lowers attack, since Tentacruel will rarely use that stat outside of Swords Dance. Ideal natures, as a result, include Bold, Timid, and Modest. * Which Ability do I want? Both are relatively situational as draining moves are rare, as are stat drops, however, Clear Body probably has more utility overall. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? Before fighting the Rival in Canalave; not having a Tentacruel by then means it is underleveled and should not see action. * How good is the Tentacool line in a Nuzlocke? It is a pretty decent Pokémon overall. While its offensive capabilities are not as impressive as they used to be in previous generations and the physical/special split has made its life tanking a more tricky one, it still does its job well. It even got a few new toys to play with if you feel like experimenting with its options. * Weaknesses: Ground, Electric and Psychic * Resistances: Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Water and Ice * Immunities: None * Neutralities: Normal, Flying, Rock, Ghost, Grass, Dragon and Dark Category:Diamond/Pearl/Platinum